Tale Of Two
by Achaeron
Summary: After the Great Thaw, Arendelle is a kingdom crumbling from corruption and years of neglect. A series of killings catches the sisters' attention as they race to uncover a dark plot which exists deep within their own city. Having no means to trace the killer, Elsa and Anna are aided by the most unlikely person to have as a companion.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

"…And they lived happily ever after. The end."

"Another story! Ma ma can you read to me another one?" A child yelled excitedly eyes beaming and pulling her mother's sleeve.

The mother smiled and placed the reddish-brown story book on the bed. Raising her right hand over her child's head, she rubbed it gently while pulling the thick blanket over the child with her left. The child closed her eyes and gave a satisfied face, clearly enjoying her mother's affection.

"That's the third story tonight." The exhausted mother spoke, still maintaining the smile and tucking her daughter into bed.

"But I can't sleep!" The child eye's suddenly burst open with hands stretched out towards the ceiling and sat up, carefully ensuring that she does not hit her mother's hands accidentally and dropping her much-loved story book to the carpet floor in the process. The book fell with a silent thump, which was loud enough to be heard in the pin-drop silence bedroom. A few pages folded as a result.

The mother exhausted at trying to put her energetic daughter asleep but also loving her too much not to get angry at her, grabbed her child's tiny hands with as little amount of strength she could manage and set them down. She thought of ways to put her child to sleep.

"I just love fairy tale endings, where the princess and the prince get married and everyone is happy." The little girl muttered, hugging the little doll beside her.

"I promise to read to you another one tomorrow." The mother replied, bending down to pick up the storybook. She unfolded the pages and closed the book; the book was one of two-story books filled with fairy tales which she gave to her daughters for Christmas the year before. Each of them had only one of the two.

"Ma ma, do you know where the other book is? I would like to hear stories from that book too." The child asked innocently, eyes staring straight at her mother's. An eager smile formed on her face.

The mother's heart melted, seeing her precious baby daughter looking up at her with those big blue eyes, waiting anxiously for an answer. She placed the book on her lap and leaned in to kiss her child on the forehead. The little girl stayed still and offered no resistance.

"The other book is with your sister." The mother said softly, almost like a whisper.

The child upon hearing her mother's words dropped her head in obvious disappointment and sighed. The two pigtail braids on each side of her face fell and she hugged her doll even tighter.

The mother stunned at her child's reaction, tried to comfort her after she figured what her child meant. She used her hands to push away the two braids covering the saddened child's face and placed them behind her ears. Clenching her right fist and using her forefinger, the mother lifted the child's head by a little from the chin; she could see light freckles appearing on her daughter's fair skin. The little girl continued looking down and tears forming in her eyes, allowed her mother to raise her head.

"My dear Anna, what are you so sad about?" The mother looking for any signs of reaction from her daughter asked in a weary tone. It was not usual for Anna to be depressed, she was always the sunshine in the family, cheerful and upbeat. Even when she fell while learning how to ride her new bicycle, Anna simply picked the bike up, joked about it and continued, ignoring the pain. Almost nothing could dampen her spirits, certainly not a rainy day; whatever bothered her now was something that meant a lot to her and her mother was keen to find out what.

"I used to see her every day, but now it it's like she's gone away. She shuts me out when I want to spend time with her. For a time she would ask me to go away, but now…she doesn't even answer me anymore. It's as though I don't exist. Why wouldn't she see me, why is she doing this ma? " Anna sobbed, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. Her lips clasped together.

"Anna…" Her mother spoke. It breaks a mother's heart to see her daughter cry, even more so when the reason was partly due to her. She wiped the tears across Anna's face using her thumps.

"You have to understand that…"

"It's always so lonely around here." Anna snuffled. "Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life without anyone to play with or talk to?" She let's go of her doll and rubs her eyes and nose.

"Your sister loves you and I'm sure she wants to spend time with you as well. She just needs time to be alone for now." Her mother replied, feeling guilty and tried her best to give a smile, hoping to cheer her daughter up.

_I'm sorry for all this. It pains me as much as it pains you to have your childhood spoiled because of me. _

Anna with eyes red looked up at her mother and hugs her. She squeezes her mother hard, as though she had not seen her mother in ages, letting go of all the emotions kept inside of her all these time. She was afraid she lost her mother as well. Anna would spend hours just waiting and hoping outside her sister's bedroom, hoping that she might eventually concede and open the door.

Her mother overwhelmed with sadness hugged her in return and gently pats her back. It did not matter that her eight year old daughter was holding her so tightly, though it made her breathing slightly harder. What matters most was that her daughter was still here, alive, from the accident that nearly claimed her life. But now she was determined to return to her daughter her childhood.

"Don't worry my dear. You'll see your sister again soon. I promise." Her mother spoke with all possible earnestness she could muster.

With this young Anna eased her hug and enjoyed the rest of the night in her mother's arms. She could feel her mother's warmth, which gave her a sense of comfort and security. Anna felt relieved after releasing all the emotional baggage weighing her down and puzzled about what her mother meant. Her sister was notoriously famous for staying in her room; it would take nothing short of a miracle to persuade her otherwise. Still it was late in the night and tiredness has gotten the better of her. She closes her eyes and tried to keep herself awake, focusing on the constant sound of her breathing. She did not want this moment to end, for after this comes with having to endure another day of isolation and rejection from her only sister. But it was hard as the room was built with such great craftsmanship that hardly any sound from the outside world could be heard. It was not long before Anna gave in and fell into a deep sleep.

Her mother still having her child in her arms tucked her little girl into bed, careful not to wake her. She could hear Anna's soft breathing. Even in her sleep Anna looked cheerful, her lips bent as though almost smiling. Her mother returned the doll to Anna, placing it beside her and lingered for a while to make sure her daughter had truly fallen asleep before quietly making her way to the door. She placed the reddish-brown storybook on the bookshelf and blew out the candles which lit the room before making her exit.

Closing the door behind her, the mother exhaled and proceeded down the hallway. The long empty hallway was dimly lit up with wall candles, the white coloured wax accumulated underneath each holder, much like stalactites of a cave. Areas which candles could not light up, moon light did, shining in from the windows. Paintings and portraits of various size and age decorated the walls at regular intervals. All these combined together would give a new comer an uneasy, eerie feeling, but this was no visitor, it was the queen.

_Did I just tell a lie? Was it that easy to lie to an eight year old?_

Thoughts raced through her head, on one hand she had a secret to keep, on the other a promise.

On this night she would have to break one.


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa woke up from a nightmare. She opened her eyes, heart pounding and sweating. Since young Elsa had been plagued by such dreams, born out of the fear she had of her powers. So often did they occur that sometimes she had trouble differentiating reality and the dream world; to her it felt all the same. She tried to refute any suspicion her mind had that these dreams were trying to tell her something. Not one of the best ways to start a day.

Elsa found her whole body covered underneath her blanket, a blanket she had ever since she could remember. She lifts up her blanket and was met with a glaring light from the sun.

_Forgot to draw the curtains again…_

As Elsa got up, her head began to throb, with one hand touching her head she forced herself off the bed. The room felt warmer than usual. With eyes winced, Elsa slipped on her night slippers and began to walk towards the window. A cool breeze relieved her pale skin from the heat, before she felt the warmth of the sun again. With one thought, ice began forming on her hands as she tried to cool herself down. Wondering why was it so warm, Elsa suddenly remembered that it was now during the midst of summer. She never really enjoyed summer, due to the long days, short nights and the heat and because everything seemed to look red. Elsa thought of altering the state of the weather, but having caused a terrible winter storm only a few days back, she decides otherwise. Besides it would be selfish of her.

Staring out of her window she found herself looking upon a familiar sight, in the distance tall mountains covered with vegetation towered over a glassy lake with the sun's glittery reflection over the water, over the horizon she could see ships of all size floating above it. Below the water she saw countless dark red rooftops with white smoke rising from the chimneys, children playing in the open courtyards, in the streets rich merchants and humble traders competing to sell their goods. The view seemed so surreal to her, as though she was looking at a painting. But a pity not many would be able to appreciate such a scenic view of the Arendelle, to have such a commanding view of the town and beyond, unless you lived in the palace. She inhales deeply and cleared her mind of any thoughts; she could smell the sea and hear the seagulls calling, something which she had grown accustomed to.

As she stood there, Elsa had a flashback of the past, it was not long ago when she would stand here uttering the same old hymn, "Conceal, don't feel, don't them know". Elsa had always wondered what it was like beyond the walls of the palace. As she was never allowed to venture out; all that she knew of the world were from the books she had. This inculcated in her an inclination towards reading as she wanted to know all there was of the world. But nothing compared to actually being out there; experiencing all that the world had to offer, the difference being now she was free and unafraid to do so. That she has her sister to thank for. Elsa looked down at her once gloved hands and smiled, she had not fully mastered her powers, but at least she knew how to subdue them. She had grown so much since then, she felt free.

But just as Elsa was beginning savour the moment, a knock on the door broke her line of thought.

"Your majesty are you awake?" Elsa recognised that voice, it was Gerda.

"Yes, I guess." Elsa replied, walking away from the window, but no intentions in opening her door.

"What is it?"

"Your majesty just a gentle reminder that the royal court convenes in a quarter-hour." Gerda spoke respectfully.

Elsa raised her eyebrows, puzzled.

_A royal court? Why wasn't I told anything?_

Looking over her dressing table, Elsa saw a small parchment of paper indicating about a meeting with the royal court. She noticed the handwriting, full cursive but neat, it was hers. Elsa tried recalling when she wrote that, probably before coronation day she thought, else she would have remembered. Elsa was not one to forget so easily, but due to all that's happened recently she forgave herself.

"I'll be there soon, thank you!" Elsa shouted, as she dashed towards her cupboard to choose a dress. She could not decide what to wear as she had no clue to how a court was conducted. As her hand swept each dress aside, Elsa blamed herself for destroying her coronation dress, it was one of her favourite.

"Can I also add that there's a foreign ship docked at the port requesting an audience with you?"

Elsa looked up and frowned, the day had barely begun and there was already so much to do. What could a foreign ship possibly want to speak to her for, everything that concerned ships and their crew's welfare was already taken care of by the harbour master, even complains. Perhaps trade? But trade deals were brokered between ambassadors not by single lone ships. She felt stressed and tiny ice fragments started to grow from her feet, she was in no position now to go and play the welcoming party, not with a full court session with all her advisors for the first time. She did not want to make a bad first impression.

_Anna. Anna could do it._

"Gerda, could you ask Anna to do it? I don't think now's the best time for such…"

"She's already there your majesty."

Elsa realising that she had held her breath, breathed out relieved.

_Thank goodness for Anna._

The room all at once felt cold and turning round Elsa found her whole room except the ceiling covered in ice.

_This happens when you don't control your emotions. _

But Elsa was no stranger to having her whole room transformed into an ice sanctuary. Then a thought hit her that it would be easier living in a palace made of ice instead, least she would not have to worry about the cleaning up part. Finally she decided on a blue coloured dress with a butterfly bodice and started changing.

* * *

"Forgive me your majesty, if I had known it was you, I wouldn't have asked to be paid."

"Oh its okay, no worries." Anna looked up and gave a warm smile.

"Bless you my lady."

The aroma of butter was overwhelming and irresistible at the same time, which garnered a large crowd to migrate to the baker. Squeezing her way through the crowd, Anna caught eye of Kristoff's distinctive blonde hair and made her way towards him. Her slender and small figure allowed her to bypass the crowd with relative ease as she protected the two freshly baked buns in her hands. As Anna approached Kristoff a few of the townsfolk who were more aware of their surroundings politely greeted the young princess and Anna would respond back generously.

The market square was noisy and crowded as usual. Along the cobbled streets lined up neatly in front of houses, vendors have set up their shops, each shouting a lower bargain than their neighbour. As Arendelle was the centre of trade in the region, there was no wonder that there were those selling local commodities and those who offered exotic foreign goods. There were people talking in a vast variety of languages too, from French to German. Amongst the sea of heads, horse carriages could be seen slowly making their way through the crowd. Above the hustle and bustle on the second floor of the shop houses, people were busy hanging their day's laundry.

"Here you go. It's good." Anna spoke, trying to speak over the noise as she hands Kristoff one of the sweet-smelling buns.

"Do you even know what this is?" Kristoff glanced at Anna and raised his eyebrows sardonically.

"No, it's my first time trying this!" Anna said excitedly, examining the golden coloured bread in her hands, like a child seeing something for the first time.

"Then how do you know it's good?"

"It smells good. I follow my nose." Anna said, pointing to her nose.

"Uh-huh…" Kristoff grinned, leaning slightly towards Anna.

"It looks good and I like its shape, it looks different compared to the others."

"Just because something smells good, looks good and is in a shape of crescent moon does not mean it _has_ to be good."

Anna looked at Kristoff with a hint of annoyance.

"Relax, I'm joking." Kristoff teased and took a bite at the bright coloured bread. "It's called a croissant and yes it does taste awesome. It was brought here from mainland Europe by French traders a long time ago, something long that sorts. But the question is how come you've never tasted this before?"

"I've never been out in the streets before. Well I mean not in this part of town." Anna swallowed.

"Wait what? How is that even possible, this is your kingdom and you don't even know the streets?" Kristoff said looking astonished.

"Were you living under a rock or something?"

"It wasn't my fault." Anna grumbled to herself.

"What?"

"Long story, but I'm trying my best to get to know the town better alright?" Anna retorted as she finished her croissant.

"Oh sure. Anyway what was it you wanted to show me?" Kristoff asked.

Anna suddenly remembered the reason for her being in town the first place.

"The ship!" Anna exclaimed and started running. Grabbing Kristoff by his hands, who nearly tripped.

"Hey! Watch it!" Kristoff yelled, trying to save his croissant from falling as they both headed to the harbour.

The harbour was situated in a fjord which boasted a large number of ships, each sailing their own country's flag proudly. The air smelled fresher here and it was windier compared to other parts of the town. Apart from the royal palace, Arendelle's port seemed the next best well maintained, obviously due to their high port status. As the pair approached the harbour, they could see Kai talking to a much smaller man compared to him. The man wore an ambassador's uniform, donned a beard and greyish hair was in a state of disarray, roaring at the top of his lungs, his hand gestures an indication of his mental state.

"What's going on here?" Anna bumped in.

"Your majesty." Kai complimented and bowed slightly.

"So you are the queen?" The man asked impatiently with eyebrows raised, his fingers pointing at her in a crude manner. Kristoff readied his stance in case anything the man tried anything funny.

"No, but I'm…"

"Then there is nothing more I should say to you." The man snapped.

"But I can help, the queen sent me here."

"Is that so? Well then look at what your queen did! She has caused this plague upon us!" The man stuffed a scroll into Anna's hands.

Anna unrolled the scroll at once and read its contents. As she read, her mouth dropped. She couldn't believe what she had just read.

"What is it?" Kristoff spoke, peering over Anna's shoulders to read the contents too.

Anna looking up with horror in her eyes answered, "They want my sister dead."

* * *

Sorry for the late update, I have been busy with work recently and I also did not want to post something out of impulse. Let me know how do you find the story so far, if its moving too slow or too fast, or areas which are lacking... I do apologise for these upfront, I'm still relatively new to writhing a fan fiction and I am open to your feedbacks, even criticisms! I do hope you enjoyed the story so far and I will try my best to finish the next chapter as soon as I can. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: Hi everyone, I know this chapter came out really slow as I was debating whether to include the scene where Elsa attends her first court meeting. I know there are many other brilliant fanfics out there who had already done this scene, thus I did not want this chapter to become a complete repetition or bore to you guys. So I went with what I thought suited the story and here it is! Once again I am open to feedbacks, even criticisms. I do hope you enjoy this next chapter and thank you for reading it!

* * *

"Your majesty, may I have a word with you privately?"

Elsa turned and found a sturdy, middle-sized gentleman, clean-shaven and sallow-skinned, dressed in a perfectly dark emerald tailor-made suit, with a pair of wonderfully sharp and penetrating grey eyes staring at her. Two polished gold medals in a shape of a five-pointed star and circle hung above his left breast pocket, which Elsa could not recognise but noted that it showed that he had done his duty well and had borne the repute of a brave soldier. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black hair was thickly shot with grey which parted slightly in the middle as he bowed before her.

"Chancellor André. Of course, what is the matter?" Elsa asked uneasily.

"Thank you my queen, there are just some issues which I would like to discuss." The chancellor spoke with a grin as he signalled towards an adjacent room.

"I guess you have good reasons not to bring this matter up during court?" Elsa asked suspiciously as she smiled to the passing ministers of the court.

"I'm afraid it's meant only for your ears…for now."

Elsa relented and settled for that answer. She felt tired of trying to argue after what happened. Elsa did not know how taxing a court session could be both physically and mentally, with the former being in her haste to get ready she had forgotten to eat breakfast. This was made worst as she had to navigate her way through the labyrinth of hallways which all looked similar to one another before arriving at the courtroom and that was because Gerda was there to guide her.

Elsa wondered how many more of such meetings would she have to endure, sessions with men howling and arguing with one another. Were she not queen, she probably had better chance trying to communicate with a deaf man instead. Elsa thought of her father and it gave her a quiet repose.

_Yet these were men of stature_.

Elsa followed the chancellor into a small study and looked behind once more to admire the grandeur of the courtroom; the lofty hall was lit up by chandeliers which hung from the ceiling, bright-coloured paintings decorated the stone walls and a great long rectangular mahogany table which stood in the centre of the chamber, with similar coloured chairs accompanying it. At the far end of the room, Arendelle's royal seal was carved directly into the wall. Sunlight shone from huge glass window panes which offered a majestic view of Arendelle, one which Elsa had never seen before. Filling the room were her ministers, men dressed in military uniforms while others in formal attire taking their leave, many of whom bore the face of disappointment and Elsa had no doubt that it was of her doing. For throughout the whole time, she had only managed to give her decision on less than half the issues raised. Elsa admitted to herself that she lacked the ability to make decisions under pressure, especially when making one meant gaining or losing the support of her people.

Just as Elsa closed the door to the study, the chancellor spoke and with a slight bow sidled down into the nearest chair, "You must forgive me your majesty but I think it's time I introduced myself properly."

Elsa still thinking about her poor performance clutched her hands and gave an inattentive nod. The chancellor, who had already settled himself down comfortably onto a red cushioned seat, however did not seem to wait for her cue and continued.

"As you have already known I am Chancellor André who is or was the temporary ruler of Arendelle for the time after your father died and before you were crowned queen. Arendelle needed someone to make decisions for it and being one of your father's closest advisors, I was eventually elected."

"Oh you knew my father then." Elsa remarked, ever since her father's death Elsa became sensitive to anyone who talked about or muttered the word 'father'. She had never met anyone else who was close to her father, besides her sister, Kai and Gerda, this caught her attention.

"Yes I did. He was a great man and a dear friend; he did many things for his country. I met him similar to how I've met you, on his first court session. It was he who cleaned up Arendelle, back then when nearly half the city inhabitants were either linked to a secret society or were involved in malicious activity. I had the pleasure of serving him on his valiant conquest if you may call it and was awarded with these two medals." The chancellor looked down at the two medals which he wore with a look of pride on his face. "But something happened and he reduced the amount of time he spent running his kingdom to attending personal affairs. Who knew that he was instead tending to his daughter, who bore such a secret? But that's for another time. How did you find your first official meeting as queen?"

"It was quite an experience." Elsa answered with as much calm as she could project and sat down gently onto the chair opposite the chancellor's. She could not pick the proper word to describe how she felt, there were mix emotions inside of her, especially since the chancellor began talking about her father. "But I do think I could have performed better."

Elsa bit her lip and steeled herself for what was about to come next, the harsh criticism.

"Your majesty, I know this is a very trying time for you, after all you've been through…" The chancellor hesitated and looked at Elsa with his bright little eyes. "But you did relatively well for your first time if you'd ask me. I do agree that some of the ministers may seem cold and hostile, especially minister Ohlsson, who gave you quite a trouble. It is quite vain to argue with him, for he is a very obstinate man. But trust me they have served under your father and all they want is the best for their country. Though I must say you did make, though few, bold decisions. The choice to cut off dealings with two of our greatest partners was not done rashly I hope?"

Elsa shot a questioning glance at the Chancellor and gave an expression on her face as if almost put off by his comment.

_So that's his name._

Elsa remembered the reckless-eyed minister from the court, his network of lines and wrinkles all over his pale complexion. Among all the ministers, minister Ohlsson was the only one who seemed to give Elsa the least respect. But who could have blamed him, after all that she caused. Elsa decided to drop the thought and focus on the more pressing matter. Did the chancellor not know the underlying reason for her decision?

"I have made it with clear judgment." Elsa answered with a stern voice; she did not like the idea of having to tell everyone that they had both tried to kill her.

"I do hope you know the consequence of that, your majesty. Not just politically, but now every nation whom Arendelle does trade with is going to be curious! How long do you suppose we are able to keep your secret in the dark from them? Arendelle is where she is today only because of trade and should the other countries find out what transpired…"

"So you expect me to keep Weselton and the Southern Isles quiet by appeasing them?" Elsa interposed. Her brows were drawn into two hard black lines, while her eyes shone out from beneath them with a steely glitter.

"Not at all. Your majesty, I am only proposing that we keep our good relationship with them, Arendelle cannot afford to lose her trading status to any other Baltic states, not while we are in this…" The chancellor swallows, trying to hard not to aggravate the queen further, "crisis."

"Yes, I am fairly aware of our situation, the crops and damage to property. The likely reaction of neighbouring nations after what happened…" Elsa lifts each of her fingers as she recalled the problems facing Arendelle that she heard from the court. It did not please her that she was the main cause for all of it. She did not want all her father's hard work to be for nothing.

"Perhaps it is possible given the circumstances, that I should call a meeting to inform the other nations of my…powers, therefore clearing this misunderstanding and to apologise to those affected by what happened." Elsa said reluctantly. She could not decide between calling her powers a curse or a gift, even after being able to thaw her city, she still could not fathom her powers. It worried her that since her own people did not trust her at first; it would be an almost impossible task expecting foreign nations to.

The chancellor whose face was now flushed sat up slightly from his seat, clearly contemplating over the queen's plan. After a moment he spoke with all due respect, "I suppose that could help, it's worth a try, but not everyone is ready to believe in magic, your majesty. Hence do not be surprised if all goes ill."

"Agreed," Elsa replied quietly.

"Then I will arrange for a meeting, your majesty. I suppose Weselton and the Southern Isles are included?" The chancellor spoke, his face slightly lightened up.

Elsa knew that she had no choice, it was inevitable. The only way to save Arendelle's reputation was an upfront confession of her powers even if it meant to her enemies. Deep down Elsa was the little girl she used to be, she wanted to shut the world out again. Her lip trembled, her hand quivered as she showed every sign of intense inward agitation. She could not bear the thought of seeing anyone from those reckless countries. Elsa could feel tiny ice fragments forming at her fingertips.

_My gloves…_

"Yes they are." Elsa finally muttered. A feeling of dread swelled in her.

"Then I guess that concludes our meeting here. It was a pleasure to finally meet you queen Elsa." The chancellor stood up and held out his hand with a small grin.

Elsa stood up and reciprocated the chancellor's pleasantry. She could not help but notice the strong grip of his hands; they were quite exceptional for someone of his age.

"Should your majesty need any help, my door is always open. Any one dear to your father is dear to me."

"Thank you for your patience chancellor." Elsa said with a slight bow and made her way to the door.

"Oh and one more thing, have you read the papers recently?"

Elsa turned her head with a raised eyebrow and faced the chancellor, who was lighting up his brown smoke pipe.

"I think you will find something which may require the attention of the queen."

Elsa nodded and hastened to the pantry. She had enough of business for one day and her stomach was growling.

_I need to eat._

* * *

Anna felt a drop of sweat trickling down the side of her face as she ran. She wanted to wipe it off, but her hands were busy trying to keep a constant grip on her skirt while carrying the letter. Though the fabric was made of a light cotton material, it hindered her movement and Anna had no choice but to lift her skirt to increase her stride. She was looking for her sister, Elsa. As she made her way down the long hallway with its vista of half white and brown walls and whitewashed doors, Anna noticed she was cursing at the size of the place. It took a good long while to get from one end of the palace to the other. But Anna contemplated that the reason she felt so bothered by this was mainly due to the missive which she held in her hands.

"Why did they have to build it so large?" Anna muttered under her breath.

The palace was filled with maids, going about their usual morning routines. Dressed in their neatly pressed green uniforms and white gloves, each maid meticulously carried out their task. It was no wonder as to why the palace remained in such excellent condition throughout the years. Surely it would have taken years of training and perhaps a tough selection before one could earn the right to work for the royal household. One of the elder maids, with body bent low onto the carpet floor was removing as many individual dirt particles as her aging eyes permitted her to see. So engrossed was she in her work that she hardly noticed the vibration of approaching footsteps. As she turned behind, she saw a young woman with long strawberry blonde hair dashed across the hallway and heard her made a slight remark.

"Is everything alright, your highness?"

"Everything is fine! Just in a hurry!" Even in a hurry Anna took it upon her to grace the old lady's question with an answer. She replied without facing the maid but ensured she spoke loud enough to be heard.

As she entered the lower hallway, Anna smelled a hint of something burning and followed the unpleasant scent to a large square room. Wooden cabinets filled with plates and bowls lined the walls, a small white marble tea-table sat alone in the corner and at the far end of the room, black smoke from the stove. Beside which Anna saw another female with her distinctive blonde hair moving up and down desperately trying to salvage the situation.

"_Queen _Elsa, are you trying to cook?" Anna spoke, clearly amused at her sister.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Elsa groaned as she wiped the sweat from her forehead careful not to ruin her braid bun.

"I thought you never like to cook?"

"No Anna, I've never cooked before does not mean I don't like cooking."

"Oh right! I forgot you spent the last thirteen years of your life cooped up in your…erm…never mind. Why didn't you call for help?" Anna paused, realising that talking about Elsa's past would bring back old pains to the both of them.

"There's always a first to…"

Anna calmed herself and spoke clearly ignoring her sister, "Can I help?"

"…everything. Wait what? Hah! Like you know how to cook?" Elsa teased. "How would a girl like you, who spend her days chasing day dreams, know anything about searing meat, so much so as handling a frying pan?"

Elsa turned and placed the burnt pot of stew on the marble table in front of Anna who seemed offended. Staring at her silently, Elsa felt compelled to apologise to Anna.

"Look Anna, I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have said such a mean thing, I'm sure you're great at cooking. Just that today hasn't gone as expected so far."

"It's alright, you're right. I know nothing of cooking and I do spend my days chasing day dreams but I guess that what makes me who I am, just as how you make who you are or who made you… Oh never mind!" Anna's face widened with a laugh and she sat down on the wooden stool facing her sister.

Elsa felt her heart warm at the amount of patience Anna had with her. She did miss that cheerful look all those years when she stayed in her room, it never failed to brighten her day up. Elsa mustered the best smile she could and smiled back, a thought lingered in her head that perhaps her smile could never be compared to Anna's, because all her life till now there was nothing to really smile about.

"I'm glad you're my sis." Elsa spoke.

They both took a moment and looked into each other's eyes. It was one of the few moments they had together since they were separated.

"Well I guess this is too burnt to be eaten and it smells bad too" Elsa joked, looking at the ruined creation she made.

"Hadn't you noticed that earlier? The whole hallway smells of it now."

"I was too busy trying to control the fire, how ironic isn't it?" Elsa laughed quietly and threw the burnt stew into the thrash.

"Well you could have used your ice powers…"

Elsa gave an annoyed glance which made Anna change the subject.

"So how was your first court session? Did you manage to pass some really amazing law?" Anna's eyes beamed.

"No that's not really what happened."

"So what did?"

Elsa walked up to the sideboard and tearing a piece from the loaf she devoured it voraciously, washing it down with a long draught of water.

"You seem rather hungry." Anna remarked.

"I'm famished! It had escaped my mind. I have had nothing since breakfast."

"Nothing?"

"Not one bite. I had no time to think of it." Elsa tore another piece and swallowed it before her mouth even finished chewing.

"Is it because of the court?"

Elsa nods her head brusquely and told Anna all about the morning's events, including how she lost her way while trying to find the court room. After she descended a long spiral staircase in the middle of the palace, she found herself looking at three similar looking archways leading to another long hallway each. It was difficult to tell one from the other as they were so identical looking. Eventually she was saved by Gerda who showed her the way and managed to reach the room five minutes before the appointed time. Elsa explained the court proceedings to Anna and told her about minister Ohlsson and his ill-favoured look, thereafter the meeting with their father's friend, chancellor André.

"Wow, sounds like your morning couldn't be weirder or more worrying than mine." Anna murmured as she revealed a crumpled piece of paper from her hands.

Elsa who had finished the loaf on the sideboard, glanced with some apparent surprise at Anna, surely nothing could seem worse than what she had been through.

"This letter was given to me by one of the ambassadors at the port." Anna continued. "It is meant for you. Don't mind it being in such a state, for I ran here."

Elsa looking confused opened the paper hurriedly. Her eyes scanned its contents, the letter rested upon a heading which send a chill to her heart.

"There is a foreign stamp which I do not recognise at the bottom. Elsa…They want you dead." Anna stammered.

Anna noticed her sister's already fair skin turning paler, her eyes were protruding as she glared at the letter which she still held in trembling her hands. Suddenly the temperature of the room dropped.

"This is some preposterous practical joke!" Elsa shrieked, ice began spreading at her feet like a parasite. "How is this even possible? Being accused of witchcraft? We are in a civilized land here, are you sure this is not some tomfoolery or some kind?"

"That crossed my mind when I first read it, but the ambassador was very clear about his intentions." Anna spoke gravely.

"Do you know where does the thing come from?" Elsa asked, she had no clue to the origins of the stamp, though the letter bore small initials of C. S. I. written at the bottom. There was a faint but odd smell from the paper as well, which Elsa merely deduced it came from the many exchange of hands the letter received before it came to her.

"The man was speaking in riddles; he refused to tell me who sent it. Only that it was the courtesy of the…Southern Isles?" Anna's voice suddenly degenerated to a whisper.

The words struck a chord within Elsa, who widened her eyes. It fits with the initials, but the insignia of the stamp did not match those of the Southern Isles.

_This is too easy; if they wish me dead why would they tell me upfront?_

"The ship…" Elsa finally spoke. "…is it still in the harbour?"

"Not anymore, they left in a hurry. Saying they had other business to attend. Elsa, do you think Hans or the duke is behind this?"

Elsa rubbed her chin in deep thought, she felt fearful, she knew it was a possibility that either of them had done this, both had the way and means to plan such an act. But the last time she saw them they were taken back to their country as prisoners, and there would not be enough time for them to plan and execute their plans. "They would be a few thousand leagues from Arendelle by now. No, something doesn't add up, I will have to do a bit of looking-up on my own to confirm this."

"But Elsa, who else could have done this, who else held such a grudge against us, isn't obvious that it's one of them?" Anna exclaimed.

"I suspect it's one of them too, but we cannot jump to conclusion yet. I just need time, need to head to the library for a while." Elsa frowned and drummed her fingers on the marble-table.

"In that case can I help? With whatever it is you're looking-up?"

"Since when do you like to read?" Elsa answered, giving a sarcastic look. "No I think I will do much better on my own, but there is another matter which you can look into for me. Chancellor André brought this up to my attention." Elsa handed a copy of the news to Anna. One of the articles was marked in pencil and Anna naturally begun to run her eye through it, reading parts of the articles.

"…Fifth person found dead in his home in what seems to be a series of killings… Neighbours say that they saw or heard nothing suspicious before or during the incident… As usual a small coffin which contained a grinning skeleton was found inside the victim's mouth… One elderly man by the name of Smith Hoering, claims he saw a drunken man lurking the streets just minutes before the victim was supposedly killed… How does this reflect upon the ruler of Arendelle?"

"That is why I want you, Anna, to meet this Mr Hoering. For he is the only lead we've got now."

"This is a little too grim for my taste Elsa! Dealing with dead people? You know I'm not exactly the right person for this. Isn't this the business of the guards and how could they put the blame on you?" Anna objected.

"If the guards were of use, this chain of sporadic events would not have carried on too far. I sense there is more to this than it seems, five killings. It seems quite true that I have overlooked the welfare of my people so far, so I have little choice but to be involved. But I have too much on my hands now. Take Kristoff with you just to be safe. "

"But what of the letter?"

"Please Anna; you're the only one whom I can trust now. I can handle the letter." Elsa gave a worried look, she felt it was unfair to push such a burden on her little sister; it should have been her doing this as she was the queen. But her life was at stake and she had to find who wrote the letter.

"Alright, I will help you." Anna relented and curved her lips upward slightly.

'I knew I could count on you." Elsa smiled and reached out across the table to grab Anna's hands. They felt warm and soft. "Stay safe."

Anna could see from Elsa's liquid blue eyes that she genuinely meant what she said and replied, "You too."

Soon the ice which covered the floor slowly disappeared in the warmth of two sisters. Anna seemed calm, but Elsa was hiding something from her sister, deep down her heart was full of forebodings. She had not told Anna about the meeting which included Weselton and the Southern Isles, it would only cause more panic. Elsa swallowed deeply and prepared herself for the storm that was coming.


End file.
